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Münster has an impressive castle built by the prince-archbishop Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels in barroque style, in the second half of the 18th century. Let's try to read and translate the long inscription on the central part of the castle.
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General view
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Photos: Hans-Rudolf Hower, 2007 |
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Inscription (part 1) |
Inscription (part 2) |
Inscription (part 3) |
Inscription
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Original Text (in Latin) |
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MAXIMILIANO FRIDERICO AR EL C E P M PRINC OPT P P ORDD MON MDCCLXVII |
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Full Latin Text |
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MAXIMILIANO FRIDERICO ARCHIEPISPOPO ELECTORE COLONIENSI ET PRINCIPE MONASTERII PRINCEPS OPTIMUS PATER PATRIAE ORDINEM DEDIT MONASTERII MDCCLXVII |
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Translation |
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When Maximilian Friedrich was archbishop-elector of Cologne and prince of Münster, the most excellent prince and father of the country gave the order (to build this castle) in Münster, in 1767. |
Comment
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Historical Backgound |
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In the Holy Roman Empire these distinct powers could be combined in the hands of a single man: = sovereign of a territory = sovereign of a territory and member of those princes who elected the emperor = sovereign of a territory and bishop = sovereign of a territory and archbishop |
The city of Münster was situated in the homonymous bishopric. According to the English Wikipedia, this ecclesiastical principality in the Holy Roman Empire "was often held in conjunction with one or more of the nearby ecclesiastical principalities of Cologne, Paderborn, Osnabrück, Hildesheim, and Liège." That is why the Cologne prince-archbishop Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels (1708 – 1784) could have a castle erected in Münster.
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Prince-Bishopric of Münster (1560) |
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The Prince-Bishopric of Münster is high-lighted in red. Click on the map to enlarge it. Map licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. For the original map, see Wikipedia's Prince-Bishopric of Münster article. |
The inscription on the central part of the castle is a homage to the above prince-archbishop, on whose order this castle was built in barroque style by the architect Johann Conrad Schlaun, from 1767 to 1787. The prince-archbishop died three years before the castle was finished.
In the 18th century, such homages were absolutely mandatory because everybody depended on the sovereigns' good will. Even books always contained enormously stilted homages, which nowadays seem completely exaggerated to us. See the example of the inauguration book of the Münster castle, whose title is "Reverendissimo Et Eminentissimo Principi Ac Domino Maximiliano Friderico Archiepiscopo Et Electori Coloniensi &c. Episcopo Et Principi Monasteriensi &c. Cum Primum Palatii Principalis Lapidem Poneret; Plausus Votivos Demississime Consecrabant Collegium & Gymnasium Monasteriense Patrum Societatis Jesu".
Medieval and pseudo-medieval inscriptions with all their abbreviations are often difficult to read and translate. That is why in this case, too, I can't exclude every possibility of error. If you have a better knowledge, please inform us. Thank you very much for your help!
As nowadays the castle belongs to the Münster university (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, WWU), its interior cannot be visited, but behind the castle there is the university's charming Botanical garden.
Bibliography
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Author / Title / Subject |
Notes |
Info / Purchase |
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Münster. A City Guide: Map of the City, surrounding maps, bus map |
A city guide to Münster (to be published in 2012). |
amazon.de/at: English. amazon.es: --- amazon.fr: English. amazon.it: --- |
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Journey through North Rhine-Westphalia |
A specialized guide to North Rhine-Westphalia. |
amazon.de/at: English. amazon.es: English. amazon.fr: English. amazon.it: English. |
Internet
Be aware of our legal reservation concerning any Internet reference.
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Address / Owner |
Content / Subjects |
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Official site (in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish). |
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By Google Maps. |
Zoomable city map of Münster. |
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In the English Wikipedia. |
Detailed encyclopaedic article on the city of Münster. |
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In the German Wikipedia. |
Even more detailed encyclopaedic article on the city of Münster, with more photos, among which Bernhard Kils's large photo of the Superwoman sculpture. |
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In the English Wikipedia. |
Detailed encyclopaedic article on the land of North Rhine-Westphalia. |
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In the English Wikipedia. |
Detailed encyclopaedic article on the historical Province of Westphalia. |
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In the English Wikipedia. |
Detailed encyclopaedic article on the region (Regierungsbezirk) of Münster. |
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In the English Wikipedia. |
Detailed encyclopaedic article on the ecclesiastical principality (prince-bishopric) of Münster. |
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Fürstbischöfliches Schloss Münster In the German Wikipedia. |
Detailed encyclopaedic article on the prince-bishop's castle in Münster (German language). |
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Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels In the English Wikipedia. |
Extremely short encyclopaedic article on the prince-bishop who built his castle in Münster. For more information, see the corresponding article of the German Wikipedia below. |
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Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels In the German Wikipedia. |
Detailed encyclopaedic article on the prince-bishop who built his castle in Münster (German language). |
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Reverendissimo Et Eminentissimo Principi... In the library of the Halle university. |
Example of a book dedicated to the same prince-archbishop as the Münster castle. |
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In the German Wikipedia. |
Detailed encyclopaedic article on the architect who built the Münster castle (German language, no related article in the English Wikipedia). |
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In the English Wikipedia. |
Detailed encyclopaedic article on the Holy Roman Empire. |
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Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster In the English Wikipedia. |
The Münster university's website (German language). |
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A website of the Münster university. |
Presentation of the Münster Botanical Garden (English language, with Webcam). |
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Holidays in Münster? Excellent idea! But where to stay? |
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Whether you are looking for a room, an apartment, a hotel, a guest house,
or any other accommodation, |
Arrival by Public Transport
For the arrival in Münster, see Inscriptions of Münster.
Exiting the Münster railway station, go straight ahead taking the Windhorststraße up to its end (Caution: A little after the junction with the Harsewinkelgasse, the Windhorststraße turns left.), continue straight ahead in the Hötteweg up to its end, turn right into the Königsstraße, then to the left into the Rothenburg. Continue taking Johannesstraße, Bispinghof, Universitätsstraße, Gerichtsstraße, where you will finally see the castle on the right. In fact, you will have crossed the whole medieval center of Münster. This explains the complication of the walk, but it is not really long.
Maybe there is a bus line that can take you from the railway station to the castle or not too far from it. The castle's address to be entered in Google Earth is "48149 Münster, Schlossplatz 2".
Indications concerning the arrival correspond to our personal knowledge or even experience, but we cannot assume any responsibility for their rightness. When you are reading this page, things may have changed in reality.
Hans-Rudolf Hower, 2012
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Last updated: April 4, 2016
